Inbound and Outbound Marketing: Do You Know the Difference?
An online business or a physical business with an online presence has the option of using outbound or inbound marketing to bring in customers. The two concepts are worlds apart. First, let’s define the outbound marketing concept as traditional advertising, (i.e., television and radio ads, direct mail, billboards, newspaper and magazine advertising are all outbound advertising avenues to get you in front of customers). Conversely, inbound marketing brings customers to you.
Let’s Go Fishing
The reason why inbound marketing is different can be illustrated by a fishing trip. Outbound marketing can be compared to a fishing trip in which you stock up on multiple rods and reels (media). Some work, some don’t. Some fish strike the bait, the other rods and reels never get a bite. You’ve succeeded but only partially, and you’ve invested a lot of time and money into all of the equipment.
With inbound marketing, you simply use a single net. First, you’ve saved money. Secondly, you don’t have to run from one rod to another, trying to figure out which bait works best. You simply pull in the fish that found their way into your net. The net is your website and its contents. It takes less effort and less expense to produce better results. The net doesn’t necessarily have to be enormous or grandiose, but making sure that are no holes and that it isn’t rusty are key to attracting and catching the leads you want.
Why Inbound Marketing Is Different
Inbound marketing brings customers who are looking for your product or service to you. It’s done with effective search engine optimization, convincing content, and a website that invites the customer to step inside your virtual business and take a look around. These are customers who found you instead of you finding them. Typically these customers have an idea of what they’re searching for on the Internet and if they find your site, there is a good chance they landed there with intent. Once found, a website with good landing pages, quality and informative content converts visitors to sales leads and then eventually into customers. As professionals, however, we have to remember that, just like fishing, patience is a virtue.
Using optimization and other platforms such as social media sites broadens the funnel of website traffic. By pulling more visitors in to the top of your funnel you educate and inform them with solid content. This content promotes the value and benefits of your merchandise or service and nurtures sales leads into a position of trust and comfort, thus pulling more traffic from the top of the funnel to the bottom.
Magnetizing Your Website
By using best social website practices, engaging content and valuable information, your conversion rate from visitor to lead to customer increases. As website traffic builds, periodic analysis of data, evaluation what is working well and what can work better is assessed. Tweaking the website, receiving input from social media sites to make small, subtle improvements will convey your message more clearly. This heightens sales, your branding message and increases exposure; making your site a magnet for sales.
The Return On Investment
The return on the initial investment is a basic reason why inbound marketing is different. Your site, social media connections, quality content and optimization work 24/7. They’re constantly pulling in visitors. No billboards, television commercials or newspaper ads can produce the same results for the same costs. Inbound marketing is also more flexible. When circumstances change, your site can react almost immediately to fit the circumstances, the times and the social or market conditions. Print and film media do not convert as quickly or inexpensively.
Let’s Get Started
As a digital agency, we at Hero believe that it is important to acknowledge both outbound and inbound marketing, however, we’re obviously strong advocates for the benefits that can rise out of inbound strategies. For every client, including ourselves, we make a point to fully embrace every opportunity within inbound marketing that will help a business thrive. We enjoy engaging with client brands to better understand how together, we can work to create a marketing strategy that is both compelling and attractive—a net that won’t just catch one fish, but will have the whole pond talking. Are you looking to expand your marketing plan but don’t quite know how to take hold of digital strategies? Contact us to learn how we can build a net and increase your catch.
